Game device



1 "M mm W n 4. MS WW I Y a n 1191i w m 1 I l x "IIM III/II ATTORNEYS.

I II

Jan. 4, 1927.

I i III/Ill II I Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

bearing faces and non-symbol faces, the lat-' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST w. smrru, or new Yonx, n. Y.

GAME names. 7

-This invention relates to game devices.

More particularly the invention relates to game devices such as are used in solving cross word puzzles. The device consists of a collection of elements each having symbolter being blank faces eitherall white or all black and some bearing designating ordinals.

The solution of cross word puzzles consists of the formulation of'words, names and abbreviations which are synonymous with other given words, names, abbreviations, or phrases and sentences. from letters of the alphabet, the letters being arranged n word-formulation order in rows which cross each other; there being in some cases one letter common to formulations, respectively,

of two or more rows; and there being cases in which the formulations in either of the rows are separated by an intervening blank or blanks which govern the length or structure of the wor name or pbbreviation.

Cross word puzzles ofiered for solution by printed publications consist of a printed chart and matter from which synonymous words. etc., are derived to be substituted and displayed letter by letter in the chart. The chart as printed consists of letter-receiving spaces including index spaces and blank non-letter spaces in the form of demarcations which are disposed between the words, etc. In the attempt to solve a puzzle with the particular type of chart offered by the publications, it is frequently rendered a useless because of repeated erasures of letters misapplied. To procure other similar charts involves extra expense and inconvenience.

.The principal object of the present invention is to produce a device of the char acter mentioned which may be used repeatedly for solving different and numerous cross word puzzles offered by publications,

such as newspapers, and for solving homemade cross word puzzles.

Another object of the invention is to produce a cross-Word-puzzle-game device, the utilization of which is characterized by convenience, adaptability, and a wide range in word-building possibility.

Other objects of the invention will'appear as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying draw- I. ings, in which- Figure 11s a sectional plan view of the device of the present invention with parts assembled in puzzle-solution relationship;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective. view of one of the collection of symbol-bearing elements or cubes Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view showing the cube of Fig. 1 in another position and showing one of the faces not shown in Fig-3;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View showing all of the facesof onetype of symbol-bearing element;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing all bearing element;

of the faces of" a modified type of symbol- '\vhich may be of any shape and in the present instance are in the form of cubes 10, and a holder 11 for the cubes. The cubes 10 may be of any size'and of any number. The holder is of such construction as to singly receive and rem'ovably hold the cubes in rows which cross each other and in 'wordformulation manner.

Each of the cubes 10 has letter-bearing faces 12 and distinctive non-letter faces 13 and 14. Each of the faces 12 has a letter 15 of the alphabet, whereas each of the faces 13 is blank and all black, and whereas each of the faces 14 is white. The faces 14 of some of the cubes of the set are eachprovided with an index number 16. It will now be seen that each cube, as shown in Fig. 5, has four faces each bearing a letter of the alphabet, another face an all black playing face, and another face a white playing face and in some instances provided with designating ordinals or index numbers.

In the type of symbol-bearing element shown in Fig. 6, several of the faces have prompting-letters 20 to indicate collectively what symbols or letters 15 are on the other faces, respectively. If desired, all of the faces may have prompting-letters 20.

The cubes are used by placing them in the holder 11 in such a manner asto create the desired words, and are readily removable.

The holder 11 forming part of the device, comprises a bottom 17 and walls '18 which arerelatively disposed to each other to define rece tacles 19 many one of which one of the on es 10 may be displayed. As shown in Fig. 2, the walls 18 are-relatively low so that when a cube 10 is arranged in any one of the receptacles 19, aportion thereof will project above the upper edges of'the walls and thus afford means for readil remov ing the cube. The receptacles 19, it will be noted, are arranged in rows which intersect each other, thus permitting the cubes to be arranged in such a manner that words may be formulated reading horizontally or vertically of the holder and in which one letter will be common to two words, one formed in the horizontal row and the other in a vertical row; the faces 13 of the cubes serve to separate the words. It is to be understood that the receptacles 19 may be differently arranged from the manner shown, to accommodate elements of other shapes as distinguished from the cubes 10.

In making a homemade puzzle, certain cubes will be set up in the holder 11 to simulate the usual chart which accompanies the ordinated words, names, abbreviations, etc., from which synonymous words are to be substituted in the solution of the puzzle,

Q the index numbers 16 of the faces 14 serving to indicate the points at which the first letter of each word is to be displayed. The blank faces 14 of the required number of v cubes are each arranged face upward be tween the faces 14 having the index numbers 16 in the holder 11, to complete and to simulate the usual type of cross-word puzzle chart or dia am.

What is c aimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, blocks each having a comparatively large letter of the alphabet on each of a plurality of its faces, another face being an all black playing face, another face being an all white playing face and certain of said faces having relatively small prompting-letters of the alphabet appearing thereon to indicate what letters of the alphabet appear on the other faces of said block.

2.- In a device of the class described, blocks each having a letter of the alphabet on each of a plurality of its faces, another face heface being an all white playing face.

In a device of the class described, blocks each having a letter of the alphabet on each v ERNEST W. SMITH.

mg an all black playing face and another f 

